What are the main advantages of polycarbonate sheets compared to glass? What is the price of polycarbonate sheets? What colors and thicknesses of polycarbonate sheets are available for installation? What are the main disadvantages of polycarbonate sheets compared to other materials?
Polycarbonate is a material with a wide range of applications. It is often used in industrial or commercial buildings and is a common solution for covering terraces and parking areas, as well as for making canopies in residential properties. Polycarbonate is especially suitable for situations where a canopy is needed to provide protection from precipitation while allowing light to pass through.
Related Articles:
Five Common Myths About Laminate Flooring
What are HPL Panels and Their Main Advantages and Disadvantages?
Depending on the thickness, polycarbonate allows a minimum of 38% and a maximum of 83% light transmission, making it a frequent substitute for glass. The advantages of polycarbonate over glass are numerous. Firstly, polycarbonate is much lighter than glass.
What are the main advantages of polycarbonate over glass?
The lighter weight significantly eases transport and the installation process. Additionally, transport and installation of polycarbonate are less demanding compared to glass because this material is incomparably tougher and more resistant to breaking.
Besides easier installation, the elasticity of this material presents an advantage during its use compared to glass. Polycarbonate is much more impact-resistant than glass. Official data shows that polycarbonate is 250 times more impact-resistant than glass and 30 times more than acrylic.
In practice, this means that partitions and canopies made of polycarbonate will withstand impacts from objects like stones and weather events like hail without damage. These characteristics are retained across a wide temperature range, from -40°F to 250°F, making polycarbonate suitable for virtually all climates.
The advantages of polycarbonate over glass do not end there. Thanks to its elasticity, polycarbonate can be bent into arched shapes, resulting in more attractive and stronger constructions. The rule is to always bend polycarbonate along the chambers within its double structure.
Polycarbonate is available in various sheet thicknesses, typically ranging from 0.16, 0.24, 0.31, 0.39, 0.63, 0.79, to 0.98 inches. Additionally, there are different colors available. Besides the transparent, or clear version, polycarbonate is offered in milky, blue, green, gray, opal, and bronze-copper shades.
What are the main disadvantages of polycarbonate?
Despite its many advantages, polycarbonate also has some drawbacks and limitations. Compared to glass, polycarbonate is less resistant to scratches, so it is not advisable to clean it with abrasive materials. In case of scratching, its shine cannot be restored by polishing.
Furthermore, although polycarbonate is tough and impact-resistant, it is also quite soft, so it should not be walked on or subjected to heavy mechanical loads. However, this is also true for glass.
Even though polycarbonate is UV resistant and often sold with a ten-year warranty, it can change color over time, particularly lower-quality products. Additionally, due to its sandwich construction with longitudinal channels, water and dirt can infiltrate the channels over the years, affecting polycarbonate’s appearance. However, this usually happens with poor quality installation and improperly sealed edges of polycarbonate sheets.
Finally, but no less important, the price is certainly not one of polycarbonate’s advantages. Polycarbonate is significantly more expensive than glass. For example, basic multiwall polycarbonate sheet measuring 36 in. x 72 in. costs around $149 (Home Depot). In contrast, larger and thicker sheets, such as a 48 in. x 96 in. x 0.220 in. clear GP polycarbonate sheet, can cost up to $520 (Lowe’s).